With a string of Facebook photos Nov. 5, School District 197 thanked the community for voting to increase funding for technology and security initiatives. Similar requests failed in a special election in May. (Courtesy photo)

Steam behind stadium falls short at polls
The second time's the charm for School District 197.
West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Area Schools will see a jump in funding starting next year, thanks to the around 10,000 voters who said "yes" to security upgrades and renewing and increasing the technology levy.

Incumbents top challengers throughout northern Dakota County
Tuesday's election left the makeup of most municipal bodies very much the same in northern Dakota County, except for West St. Paul.
The St. Paul suburb will have a new mayor come January, unseating John Zanmiller who's served in the city's top spot since 2005. A Hennepin County Corrections career probation/parole officer, Zanmiller also served on the council for two years prior to his mayorship.

"More of the same" is the takeaway from the District 2 races of the Dakota County Board of Commissioners and the U.S. House of Representatives. Area residents helped incumbents keep their spots by more-than comfortable margins Nov. 4.

Statewide, GOP takes control
Incumbent Minnesota House legislators representing parts of the East Side, including District 67A and 67B, both won with nearly three-quarters of the vote.
Tim Mahoney and Sheldon Johnson’s overwhelming wins were not reflective of what happened statewide, especially in rural Minnesota where several DFL incumbents lost tight races to their Republican challengers.